Refrigerating apparatus



y 1951 L. A. PHILIPP i 2,552,345

' REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed July 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

Lnmzsncs H-PmuPP BY May 8, 1951 L. A. PHILIPP 2,552,345

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed July 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 K INVENTOR.

. LAWRENCE H-FMILIPP IQTTORNEY Patented May 8, 1951 2,552,345 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Mich., asslgnor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maryland Application July 24, 1947, Serial No. 763,185

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to household refrigerators.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement in a household refrigerator for preventing the wetting by condensate of cabinet insulation adjacent a storage compartment, liner attached evaporator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement in a refrigerator precluding contact of air entrained moisture with an external, liner attached refrigerant evaporator to prevent wetting of the cabinet insulation exposed to the liner and to the evaporator.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a refrigerator cabinet, a sealed in freezing compartment liner and attached evaporator and to arrange for flow of air entrained water vapor, leaking into the cabinet casing in the vicinity of a food storage compartment, to freeze on the freezing compartment interior away from the insulation where resultant frost can be conveniently reached for removal without shutting down the refrigerating system.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view partly broken away and in section of a refrigerator embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is 'a cross sectional view of the refrigerator, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of the refrigerating system; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional view ofthe refrigerator showing certain details of construction and arrangement.

In the drawings, there is shown a household type of refrigerator having a cabinet, designated generally by the numeral 20. The cabinet 29 comprises, in general, an outer metal casing 22, a metal liner 24 and a second metal liner 26. These liners Z4 and 25 formv food storage and freezing compartments 28 and 30 respectively. In the present arrangement, the freezing compartment 3% is located below the food, storage compartment. At the front of the cabinet the food storage compartment 28 and the freezing compartment 311 have individual access openings closed by doors 34 and 3B which may be hinged, as at 38, to one side of the cabinet.

A refrigerating system for the cabinet storage tached to and in direct contact with the outer surfaces of the food storage compartment liner 24 and the freezing compartment liner 26 to absorb heat therefrom. The refrigerant evaporators 40, 42, preferably conduits are of sinouous or serpentine form, arranged to extend respectively along the top, bottom, sides and rear walls of the liners 24, 26. Preferably, these refrigerant evaporators are connected together in series by a flow restricting tube 48 (see Figs. 3 and 4). Refrigerant is supplied by the condenser 46 to the relatively high temperature evaporator 40 through a flow controlling capillary tube 50, absorbing heat from the liner 24 of the food storage compartment 28. From the relatively high temperature evaporator 40, refrigerant flows through the flow restricting or pressure differential tube 48 into the relatively low temperature evaporator 42 passing therethrough and evaporating to absorb heat from the liner 26 of the freezing compartment 30. The degree of restriction offered by tube 48 determines the difference in temperatures in the two evaporators. From an accumulator 52, connected to the outlet end of the evaporator 42, gaseous refrigerant is withdrawn through a return conduit 54 by and to the motor compressor unit 44. This unit 44, may be located in a machinery compartment 56, provided in one lower, rear corner of the cabinet, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to preclude air entrained moisture, which leaks into the outer casing 22, from freezing out on the outer surface of the freezing compartment liner 26, I seal in the liner 26 by the provision of a casing which is arranged to surround the top, rear, sides and bottom walls of the liner in spaced relation thereto. Insulation 62 is interposed between the liner 26 and the liner casing fill between the corresponding top, side, rear and bottom walls thereof. Also, insulation 64 is provided between the liner casing 60 and the outer casing 22; between the food storage compartment liner 24 and the outer casing 22 and between adjacent top and bottom Also, the insulation 64 may be of any suitable type, such as fiber glass. As shown in Fig. 4, the relatively high temperature evaporator or concluit 40 extends through a sealing grommet 65 in an aperture in the top wall of the liner casing 60 for connection with the flow restricting tube 48 which connects the evaporators All and 42 together. :By this arrangement, the relatively low temperature evaporator and the restricting tube are embedded in the insulation so that frosting will not occur on the outer surfaces of the liners.

The freezing compartment liner 25 and its casing 60 are closed adjacent the freezing compartment door opening by ,a-closure member 68 which extends part way into the space between liner 26 and its casing 60 around the top, bottom and sides thereof. This .closure member 58 may be in the form of a frame and may be made of wood, as shown, or of any other suitable material. The joints between this wooden framelike closure member 68 and the liner 26 and casing 60 may be filled with a sealing material, such as, asphalt or other bituminous cement or other suitable sealing material to prevent leakage of moisture laden air into the insulation 62 and consequently prevent collection of frost on the outer surface of the liner 26 and evaporator 42. Bolts 18, extending through spacers i2 secure the frame-like closure member 68 to a metal frame '14 at the front of the cabinet which metal frame may be secured to the cabinet outer casing 22 by welding. Breakertrim strips 16 of low heat conductive material extend-between the liner and the outer casing 22 and between the liners and a metal door bumper strip 18 extending horizontally along the front of the cabinet between the food storage and freezing compartments.

In order to prevent wetting of the insulation 64 in the vicinity of the relatively high temperature evaporator 40 by condensate of moisture entrained in the air which leaks into the outer casing 22, I provide a communicating passage 82 between the evaporator 40 and the interior of the freezing compartment 30. This induces flow of moisture away from the insulation and evaporator 49 by diffusion, inducing the moisture to freeze out on the cold inner surface of the freezing compartment liner from which the frost may be readily removed, for example, by wiping it off of the liner with a wet, warm cloth. An open ended tube 84, extending through the top walls of the liner 26 and liner casing 60 provides the passage 82. An outturned flange 86 on the inner end of the tube 84 may be drawn up tightly against the inner surface of the liner 26 by a nut '88 threaded onto the upper end of the tube. The joints between the tube 84, liner 28 and liner casing 60 may be sealed by a suitable cementi tious material, such as asphalt or other bituminous cement. Because of the provision of the machinery compartment 56 within the cabinet, the freezing compartment liner '26 and its casing 60 are offset forwardly at one side of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 2. This partiallydecreases the depth of the freezing compartment but provides a space suitable for receiving ice trays '39. This ice making compartment may be closed off from the freezing compartment by a metal partition or plate 90.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that I have provided a sealed in freezing compartment such that collection of frost on the outer surface of the freezing compartment liner and on the evaporator conduit attached thereto is positively precluded. It will also be noted that my sealed in freezing compartment liner, insulation and liner casing constitutes a unit or subassembly which as a unit may be assembled with the cabinet. In addition, I have provided in a refrigerator of the above mentioned character for preventing wetting of the insulation in the vicinity of the food storage compartment evaporator by inducing flow of moisture from this vicinity to the interior of the freezing compartment.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may he made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, a cabinet casing, a liner within said casing forming a storage compartment having a rear wall opposite an access opening to the compartment, a door closing said access opening, a refrigerant evaporator in heat conducting relationship with said liner on the outer surface thereof, a sealing casing enclosing said liner and evaporator within said cabinet casing, imperforate heat breaker strips spanning adjacent edges of said liner and sealing casing at the door opening, heat insulation interposed between said cabinet casing and said sealing casi g, :heat insulation interposed between said sealing casing and said liner imbedding said evaporator, and a passage adjacent said rear wall through both said liner and said sealing casing communicatively connecting the space between said cabinet casing and sealing casing with said storage compartment.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising, a cabinet casing, a liner within said casing forming walls of a storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator on the external surface of said liner to cool said storage compartment, a second liner within said casing spaced from said first liner and forming Walls of a second storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator on the external surface of said second liner, a sealing casing enclosing said second liner and said second refrigerant evaporator, heat insulation interposed between said sealing casing and said first refrigerant evaporator, insulation interposed between said second refrigerant evaporator and said sealing casin and a passage through both said second liner and said sealing casing establishing communication between said first evaporator and said second storage compartment forflow of moisture by diffusion through the passage to freeze on said second liner.

LAWRENCE A. PHILIPP.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Richard Dec. 2, 1-94? Number 

